![]() You will notice that I bulletized the list instead of numbering it. So, what should you look for in your next Black Belt? Here is my personal top ten list. It is generally expected that a Black Belt will move into a Master Black Belt or significant business role after the Black Belt assignment is completed in 18 months to three years. Black Belts coach Green Belts and receive coaching and support from Master Black Belts. Black Belts are knowledgeable and highly skilled in the use of the Six Sigma methodologies and tools, as well as facilitation and change management, and lead subject matter experts to increase customer satisfaction levels and business productivity.īlack Belts have typically completed four weeks of Six Sigma training, and have demonstrated mastery of the subject matter through the completion of project(s) and an exam. Black Belts are full-time Six Sigma project team leaders responsible for implementing process improvement projects (DMAIC or DFSS ) within the business. Six Sigma Black Belts are most often referred to as change agents, and there is no doubt that the Black Belt role is a leadership position within an organization (please note that I intentionally did not say “within the quality department or Six Sigma organization”). What should you look for in a Black Belt candidate or how should you develop yourself for a Black Belt position? This article will address these questions. ![]() Or, you may be a Green Belt or quality engineer with aspirations of someday working full-time as a Six Sigma Black Belt. "If you are putting the right people on the right problems, that have the right skill sets, the money eventually will flow out of that, and thats something important for people to realize.Whether you are a process owner, Master Black Belt or Champion, you will at some point need to interview candidates for an open Black Belt position. "What we want to do is match skill on problem as opposed to dollar amounts, which is a fictitious type of program management metric that's out there." So, if I have a problem that requires a ton of linear regression and a DOE and all these types of analyses that clearly are the skill set of a black belt or a master black belt, then I should assign them to that regardless of the dollar amount, especially if I dont have a million-dollar project sitting out there," he says. ![]() "The conversation should be about matching the skill necessary to the problem. "Thats a very activity-driven approach and what we look at are results."Īren't the numbers the results? No, says the BMGI chief operating officer. So they backed into the math, Waldo points out. Carrying out their calculations further, the organization determined a black belt could complete two projects per year, therefore requiring each project be worth $300,000 for a total of $600,000 per year in cost savings, or a 4x return on that black belt's time. The organization then determined it required a 3X return on that engineer's time, for example, and calculated that cost. The programs often were kicked off in engineering-driven organizations, which looked at the typical allocated cost of an engineer, recognizing all the training necessary to turn that person into a dedicated black belt. Where did that $300,000 figure (or similar high figure) come from? It dates back to the measurement system that existed when Six Sigma programs first launched, explains Waldo. Thats what makes it a black belt project." All black belt projects must be worth at least $300,000. ![]() Waldo voiced his objection first by outlining a typical conversation surrounding the selection of a black belt project: The conversation begins with a black belt project proposal, which is met by the question, "How much is the project worth?" Told that it is worth $50,000, the response becomes, "That cant possibly be your project. That concept is wrong, says William Wes Waldo, COO of consulting firm BMGI, who shared his observation during a recent online training event "Performance Metrics: How to Select Them, Adjust Them, and Tie Them Into Your Strategy." There exists a concept that cost savings is the measure that must be met for a project to qualify as a Six Sigma green belt project or a Six Sigma black belt project. ![]()
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